Unlikely
by JapaneseAnimeFreak16
Summary: What do a shinigami hybrid and a mafia boss in training have in common? Absolutely nothing…aside from the fact that they've both been kidnapped right under their friends noses and have only each other to rely on to survive. Crossover fic, Bleach/Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Ichigo/Tsuna-centric, gen.
1. Meeting

**Author's Note:** Hola people! So, after re-falling in love with Bleach and rekindling my absolute devotion to Katekyo Hitman Reborn, I've decided to try out a crossover. There aren't many that caught my interest, so I figure I'd beta test to see how many people would be interested. Hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think!

**Rating: K**

**Warning: **AU (but could be canon…in my dreams), crossover, no ships, slight OOCness

**Summary:** What do a shinigami hybrid and a mafia boss in training have in common? Absolutely nothing…aside from the fact that they've both been kidnapped right under their friends noses and have only each other to rely on to survive.

* * *

**Meeting**

"Name?"

"…Ts-Tsuna. Y-You?"

"Ichigo."

"N-Nice to meet you, I-Ichigo-san."

"Hm. I'd say the same under different circumstances."

"…"

"…"

"I-Ichigo-san?"

"What?"

"Why are you h-here?"

"…dunno. Why're you?"

"…I-I'm not sure either."

"…"

"Ichigo-san?"

"Yeah?"

"W-We're going to get out of here. My friends are looking for me. They'll find us, and you can go home, I promise."

"…heh. Not if my friends find us first."

"…are they strong?"

"Yeah. Yours?"

"Mm. Very."

"Then let's hope they don't end up killing each other before they get us out of here."

"…"

"Oi, Tsuna."

"Hm?"

"Nice to meet you too."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, not much. But if I get some responses and genuine interest in this fic, I'll be sure to continue.


	2. Farewell

**Author's Note:** Wow, more people followed/faved/reviewed than I thought, haha. So, I try to keep my fics light hearted (besides my angsty ones) but due to the nature of this fic – mafia, kidnapping, drugs, violence – this one is gonna be a little more realistic than others. I'm gonna try to keep it cute and funny but do expect some swear words and some rough handling of victims in captivity. It's gonna be a huge wake-up call for Tsuna and Ichigo to see a dark side of the mafia and death.

**Rating:** **T**

**Warning:** Mentions of violence and drugs, minor language, kidnap-trigger warning, OOCness, AU, crossover Bleach/Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Ichigo and Tsuna-centric with mentions of other characters later

**Summary:** What do a shinigami hybrid and a mafia boss in training have in common? Absolutely nothing…aside from the fact that they've both been kidnapped right under their friends noses and have only each other to rely on to survive. Crossover fic, Bleach/Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Ichigo/Tsuna-centric, no pairings.

* * *

**Farewell**

Tsuna didn't know what to make of his fellow prisoner.

The teen was scary at first, his obnoxiously bright orange hair and terrifying scowl enough to convince the brunette he was a delinquent of some sort. But, like Lancia-san, he didn't feel Ichigo was a bad person. For the brief moment that they spoke, he got the feeling Ichigo was somewhat like a mix between Gokudera and Yamamoto – rough on the outside but fiercely loyal, confident and at ease but not at all naïve. He even reminded him a bit of an older, orange-haired version of Hibari, quiet and level headed and terrifyingly powerful.

Even now, despite their bleak situation, the older teen was just sitting comfortably in his cell, back against the wall and relaxed as if they weren't in enemy territory.

Did that make him an enemy? Or a bad guy? Because, aside from his friends, Tsuna had a feeling there were not many tolerant people that would take the situation in stride so easily. Was Ichigo a prisoner of war? Did he cross a mafia family? Or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Tsuna was not particularly proud to admit he'd panicked when he first woke up in what looked like a medieval dungeon – chains on the wall, black steel cell bars, thick cobblestone walls – and it had taken him a second to realize this wasn't one of Reborn's awful tutoring sessions. Despite making peace with the Vindice, he still had a healthy amount of fear for the undead Arcobaleno and still had nightmares about the water prison Mukuro had been held in.

It had been Ichigo-san to calm him down with a terse, one-worded question even though he was in the same situation across the hall.

Unfortunately, their interaction was interrupted by two severe looking guards shushing them, heavily armed with riot gear, really big guns, and a lot of other painful looking things Tsuna didn't want to think about.

And Ichigo-san, Tsuna found, really didn't like being told what to do.

When one of the guards tried to scare him by banging on the bars – making Tsuna jump in the process – he merely looked up at them with a lazy, half-incredulous expression, and snorted derisively, "Looks like they put the monkeys on the wrong side of the bars."

Tsuna clapped a hand over his mouth, part in holding in a horrified screech and part in an effort to keep in his laughter.

The guards' faces had turned red in anger, but Ichigo still seemed completely unruffled. The bigger man had a smoker's voice, gruff and unpleasant to listen to coupled with a heavy accent when he spoke Japanese, "Watch yer mouth, boy. Yer just lucky da boss wants ya _unharmed_ or ya'd regret dat." They both left after sending Tsuna a scathing glare in warning and the brunette nearly peed himself with relief when they were finally gone.

_After trying to convince a roomful of my former enemies to fight together, facing off against the Vindice, and living with _Reborn_, you'd think I'd be used to this kind of stuff... _He internally sighed, annoyed at himself for cowering to a regular man when he'd already dealt with the strongest, scariest people on earth.

Tsuna was silent for a few moments, cramming his self-depreciating thoughts down, and hesitantly asked, "I-Ichigo-san? D-Do you r-remember what happened b-before you were br-brought h-here?"

For a second, Tsuna thought the orange-haired teen didn't hear him – or was ignoring him – but he saw the look of concern on his face as he thought, "No. I've been trying to remember when and how I got here but all I remember is waking up and eating breakfast before everything goes black. It's not like I was attacked and knocked out, otherwise I'd feel some leftover trauma from the fight, but I have a suspicion that we've been drugged." Sharp amber eyes suddenly bore into his own, "Do you feel sluggish? Disoriented? Any loss of balance or appetite?"

Tsuna blinked at the rapid-fire questions and wondered what he should divulge.

He couldn't exactly say he was sore all over from his battle with another entity that policed the dark underbelly of society, now could he? "W-Well…I do have a headache, a-and I'm still r-really tired and e-everything's kind of…f-fuzzy? I-It's hard t-to focus on a-anything."

Ichigo swore, and Tsuna jumped. He didn't say anything wrong, did he? Those were the only new symptoms he could feel that didn't involve the battle that ended only a week ago.

"Rohypnol."

Tsuna blinked at the new term. "Ro-hop-what?"

"Rohypnol. Date-rape drug, used in a lot of bars and clubs to take advantage of people." Tsuna's face drained of color, "Don't worry, they didn't do anything to us physically. Rohypnol is a popular drug to use in Europe, America, and Columbia because it causes near-permanent memory loss while the victim is under the influence. They must've slipped it to us and brought us here which explains our symptoms. Decrease in motor function, drowsiness, low blood pressure, headaches, and visual impairment. The effects should wear off soon since we haven't been dosed in over twenty-four hours."

Tsuna blinked at the older teen incredulously. Calling Ichigo-san a delinquent, even in the privacy of his own mind, was a huge oversight, but now he was even more like an older Gokudera-kun in his mind.

"Wow, Ichigo-san is really smart. How do you know all that?"

Ichigo's scowl lessened a bit but he still frowned at the memory, "My dad runs an at-home clinic. I help out when I can, and one night about two years ago, a girl came in. She'd been dosed with Rohypnol and came stumbling to our neighborhood for help, but the next morning she didn't remember anything and had a lot of our symptoms."

The brunette's eyes widened during the story, rage and disgust welling within him like a raging tidal wave. What kind of person would do that? "What happened? Is she okay now?" His horror must've shown on his face, because Ichigo just looked at him with a small, approving half-smirk.

"She's fine. When the asshole came after her, I broke his arm and my dad called the police. He's still in jail and the girl sends a card every year thanking us for helping her."

Tsuna couldn't help but notice the content, the pride, Ichigo felt in his father and himself for saving an innocent girl from such a terrible fate. He wasn't bragging about being a hero, he was genuinely happy she was safe and that the jerk wouldn't get a chance to do the same to another girl in the future. It made his respect for the older teen raise another notch, and the inkling of trust he felt was cemented in his mind.

No, Ichigo-san wasn't a bad person, and even though Reborn was going to beat the tar out of him for trusting a complete stranger so easily – because he found out everything – Tsuna just felt relieved having the older teen as company.

"I remember waking up late and watching tv…and eating breakfast my mom left for me…" Flashes of memories shot through his skull, too fast to understand what they were, "…and then I woke up here."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, "You were home alone?"

Tsuna nodded, blinking at the change of subject, "Uh, yeah. My parents went on a cruise for a week…and a lot of my friends went out of town."

Ichigo's scowl deepened again, "Huh. I was home alone too. My dad and sisters were out of town and my friends went on a few personal trips." He glared at the wall across from him, "That doesn't explain how they slipped us the drug. My sister made breakfast for everyone, so they would've been effected long before me and I assume the same goes for your family."

Tsuna nodded, catching on to his train of thought, "Then how did they-"

A sudden slam of heavy doors down the hall silenced their conversation, and a chill crept up Tsuna's spine. Five men came, a relatively young man in front, two older gentlemen beside him, and the same two guards flanking them with creepy grins. The chill got worse, frighteningly so, and the brunette felt a wave of nausea almost overcome him – at least one of these men reeked of death and cruelty.

The young one leered at them both from where he stood, looking them up and down like new toys to play with, and Tsuna could practically see Ichigo-san's hackles rise. He felt it too, then, the dark, slimy feeling trying to crawl under their skin.

"Look what we have here…"

* * *

"Tsuna, give us a moment and go give these cookies to Maman and the children." Bianchi casually ordered, not missing a beat as she kept stirring something purple and dangerous in a heavy-duty pot. Tsuna wasn't above wondering if a person could fit in there and whether or not Bianchi would be adverse to cannibalistic methods of cooking, but he took the tray of surprisingly normal cookies anyway and scampered off.

Gokudera eyed her suspiciously where he sat, the undertone of 'we need to talk' not lost on him. He resisted a wince as he shifted in his seat, ribs still tender from the explosion not a week ago that had nearly killed him and Yamamoto.

Bianchi kept stirring the pot in smooth strokes, her posture betraying nothing; "Hayato…would you like to go on a trip with me?"

Gokudera blinked. And stared. And glared. And then titled his head to the side, trying to figure out the proper equation and mathematical method to approach the question and solve it.

He came up empty. "What?"

The Poison Scorpion sighed and stopped stirring, turning back to look at her genius but sometimes dull little brother. Her goggled eyes were surprisingly unguarded and honest when she looked at him, "I asked if you'd like to go on a trip with me." She pulled two tickets out of her back pocket and slid them towards him, "A road trip. We can stop by a few towns with stuff to do together on the way to this concert."

Gokudera stared at her suspiciously before investigating the tickets with calculating eyes. His jaw dropped. "S-Stephen Hough?!" he squeaked, fumbling a bit with the foreign name.

Stephen Hough.

One of the greatest current pianists of all time.

An early inspiration to his mother and his (secret) hero.

Hough was relatively young – only in his early fifties with a full head of brown hair – but his skill was inarguable and had played with multiple famous orchestras and worked with legendary conductors like Ivan Fischer within the last ten years. Gokudera remembered going to one of his concerts when he was very young with his mother. It wasn't a formal concerto and the audience was a small, inner-circle type of crowd, but he remembered being enthralled with the mans' passion as he played, his energy and love for the music very similar to his mothers. It was one of his best memories with her.

"What is this?" he asked roughly, anger slowly filling him as nostalgia was pushed aside.

Bianchi held back a sigh, knowing it would enrage her brother, and gently laid a hand on his clenched fist. "This isn't a trick, Hayato. I loved when your mother played…I love when you play…I just thought, after everything that's happened in the last year…I just thought it would be nice to listen to my little brothers favorite pianist with him. That's all. No other reason, no ulterior motives. You don't have to go, but I would like your company."

She waited a moment before pulling her hand back and leaving the room, and Gokudera was left in his remnants of shock and anger.

He'd never heard Bianchi so…emotional before. So open and without her usual, cool composure. He couldn't even remember the last time she called him 'little brother' so affectionately. He instantly felt bad for his aggressive reaction, but after years of being manipulated by nearly everyone, it was hard to trust even his own sister when she was being genuine. She was extending an olive branch, not to bury the past but to remember, accept, and resolve nearly a decade of mixed feelings.

With his mind made up, he grabbed the tickets and shoved them in his pocket and walked into the living room, ignoring his sisters small smile and fell into a familiar routine.

"Lambo no fair! You share!"

"NO! THEY ARE LAMBO-SANS COOKIES! BWAHAHAHA LAMBO-SAN IS THE GREATEST!"

"SHUT UP AHO-SHI!"

"Maa, maa!"

"GUPYA~! GO AWAY BAKADERA! UNHAND LAMBO-SAN OR SUFFER MY WRATH!"

"HIIIEEE! LAMBO! PUT THAT GRENADE DOWN!"

"STUPID COW BRAT!"

* * *

Tsuna sighed, hanging up the phone after having a headache inducing conversation with Kyoko's older brother.

Apparently, the Sasagawa family was going on their annual family trip across Japan, the day before his parents' departure on their cruise, and they had invited him, Lambo, Ipin, and Haru to join them.

While Tsuna would've loved to spend quality time with beautiful Kyoko-chan, he was still exhausted and aching. He didn't think he'd have the energy to deal with Ryohei, Lambo, and Haru all at once, and he was too nervous to meet Kyoko's parents. So, he declined but gave the younger kids the green light to go – better they stay with the Sasagawa's instead of stay at home and cry until mom came home.

_Well, that takes care of the kids._ Before he could lie down and shut his eyes, a flying kick to his temple knocked him off balance, "Hiiieee! Reborn! That hurt!" he whined, partially out of habit but mostly out of pain.

"We need to talk."

Tsuna sat upright immediately, not liking Reborn's severe tone, and obediently sat cross-legged in front of the hitman.

"You need to be careful, Tsuna." Reborn said, expression void of any sadistic glee or omnipotent knowingness he always seemed to display. He was being serious. "Of course I'm being serious dame-Tsuna. This is your safety we're talking about."

Reborn really needed to stay out of his head.

"I will when you stop being so easy to read, now focus." Tsuna jolted at the sharp tone, now worried and a little scared, "I'm going to be in Italy for a while with Nono, and since you're going to be Decimo soon, I can tell you it's because there have been disappearances among Vongola's allies. Too many family members have gone missing and I'm going to investigate."

Tsuna didn't even have the coherency to refute his position as usual. Disappearances? Missing people?

Reborn didn't relent, "So far, we don't have a clue who is behind this and the Vongola along with CEDEF – without your father – are working tirelessly to figure it out. It's only started up after the Representative Battles ended but the disappearances have increased exponentially within the last three days and I'm needed there. It's doubtful that they will target you or any of your guardians, but the key is caution, understand?"

"W-Why are you telling me this?" Tsuna whispered, his heart heavy with dread.

A powerful kick to the head knocked him out of his horrified stupor, "Because you need to know what's going on and be on guard. Don't think just because you're home with your guardians that you're safe. The only reason I'm even leaving is because the situation has become dire and requires my presence."

_He…he's worried about me? He doesn't want to go because he wants to make sure I'm safe?_ The thought warmed Tsuna a bit from his cold fear, and the familiar swell of happiness he felt at being Reborn's student, the gratitude he felt once in a blue moon, came with a vengeance. Reborn didn't comment on his thoughts this time, and if Tsuna didn't know any better, his tutor was _embarrassed_ because Tsuna was right. The brunette gave a weak smile that belied his convicted nod, "Ah. I understand, Reborn. I'll be careful. I'll have my gloves and pills with me everywhere I go."

That was exactly what Reborn needed to hear, but for some reason his gut still churned with uneasiness. "Che. You're too emotional, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna huffed in response, crossing his arms, but before they could continue to bicker Tsuna heard his mother call everyone for dinner. The brunette couldn't quite hide his happy smile when he offered his shoulder and Reborn took the invitation. "Let's go, mom made curry tonight."

He bit back a smile at Reborn's almost petulant sigh. "I'm going to miss Mamman's cooking while I'm overseas."

* * *

"Eh? You're going on a road trip with Bianchi tomorrow?" Tsuna asked, surprised. He'd never known his friend to willingly spend time with his older sister.

"Yes! I'm extremely sorry for the last minute notice, Juudaime!" Gokduera cried, nearly throwing himself on the floor at Tsuna's feet.

Tsuna sweatdropped – the silver-haired bomber had gotten better about overreacting around him, but it seemed old habits died hard. It was actually a nice idea, Gokudera needed the reprieve from everything dangerous that seemed to hover around Namimori. He smiled, "Have a good trip then, Gokudera-kun."

Gokudera had that worshipping expression on his face again, "I'm so sorry I won't be here to protect you Juudaime! I'll have to leave your safety the baseball idiot and turf top, but least Reborn-san will still be here but still!"

Tsuna smiled weakly, "It's alright Gokudera-kun, I'll be fine while you're gone. We can go to the movies or something when you get back, okay?"

He was grateful that Gokudera cared for his safety, but the bomber knew if there was even a chance that something bad would happen while he was gone, he wouldn't leave. Gokudera deserved to have a break doing something he loved with his sister, which was why Tsuna didn't have the heart to tell him about how Yamamoto's team was selected last minute to attend a famous baseball tournament taking place in two days out of town, or that Kyoko-chan and Oni-san's parents were leaving the day after for a family trip that happened to include Haru, Lambo, and Ipin, or that Reborn's flight to Italy was scheduled just hours after Gokudera's departure tomorrow.

But Tsuna was sure nothing would go wrong, and a little omission didn't hurt anyone, especially if it involved the happiness of one of his best friends. He didn't feel guilty at all. Nope. No guilt whatsoever. None.

Gokudera was nearly in tears, "Juudaime is so kind!"

Damnit.

* * *

The days passed by quickly as everyone started to leave Namimori.

First Gokudera and his sister, the former still apologizing profusely but so excited Tsuna couldn't get annoyed. Reborn left next, a little more edgy when he heard about the Poison Scorpion and Hurricane Bomb's departure, but just gave Tsuna a solid kick in the gut as goodbye. That afternoon, Yamamoto stopped by with some sushi and such a childish, excited grin, Tsuna felt himself grinning too as he waved him off. The next day, he packed the kids up for the Sasagawa family road trip. Today, he was seeing his parents off for their cruise.

"You remember the rules, Tsu-kun! There's food in the fridge and freezer, just defrost. I also left some money in the drawer in case you feel like eating out, but not too much okay? It's not healthy for you. Brush your teeth after every meal, leave your dirty clothes in the hamper until I get back, and make sure the house is clean when I get home! Alright sweetie?" Nana said sweetly, excitement and worry clear in her features.

Tsuna sighed, "I know, mom, we go over this whenever you leave the house for more than a day. Have a nice trip with dad. Don't let him get drunk and fall overboard."

Nana lightly scolded, "Now now, Tsu-kun, that's no way to talk about your father." She smiled dreamily, "Be safe sweetie! Oh, and change your underwear everyday! We'll be back in a week. Love you!" she kissed him on each cheek, giggling at his embarrassed groan, and flitted out the door with her bags to the cab waiting outside.

Iemitsu materialized out of nowhere and clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder, and Tsuna winced at the discomfort from his injuries.

The blonde grinned, "Listen to your mother, Tsuna. We'll be back before you know it." His expression sobered, "I'll keep her safe, and you stay safe too. The Representative Battles may be over, but that doesn't mean there will be other trials in the future. Relax and let your injuries heal. Your friends will be around so have fun while we're gone." He smiled again, smaller but sincere and full of fatherly pride, "I'm proud of you son. You united all of Vongola and made allies of your previous enemies, and you've done the impossible by breaking the Arcobaleno curse. No other father can say their son did that."

Tsuna hesitantly nodded, feeling happy and a little off kilter at the praise, and watched with a deadpan expression as his dad transformed again into his useless, lovesick father. The blonde went all googly-eyed and ran at the cab with hearts in his eyes, singing, badly, about how beautiful his beautiful, sweet Nana-chan was as she giggled and blushed in return, and Tsuna watched dumbly as the cab disappeared around the corner.

Strong or not, his dad was a weirdo.

Sighing, the brunette closed the front door and just listened to the silence.

The house hadn't been this quiet since…since the beginning, when Reborn first arrived and turned his world upside down and sideways. With a tired grin, Tsuna decided to enjoy the peace while it lasted and take a nap.

He did feel a little bad that he told no one of each other's plans, but he didn't know that no one else knew until last minute – if that made any sense. His friends had no clue pretty much everyone was gone on their own little excursions for the next week, and Reborn left fairly quickly so he probably didn't know Tsuna was alone yet. Even his parents didn't question the absence of his guardians, assuming they were at home recovering. And he had no clue what Hibari or Mukuro and his gang were up to. Oh well.

It wasn't like anything would go wrong in just a few days.

Everything was fine.

Just fine.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, so not the most interesting chapter and really dicey, but I had to set up a bit of background for future chapters so that included adding details in every individual's reason for leaving so quickly – and yes, there is a reason why they ALL left at roughly the same time. Don't worry, you'll see in the future ;) I hope I kept them all in character, it's been a while since I read/watched KHR. Thanks, faves and reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. Coincidence

**Author's Note:** **IMPORTANT INFORMATION!** This story is set a week after the Xecution arc in the Bleach timeline (NO VANDERIECH) and a week after the Arcobaleno Curse/Representative Battles arc in the KHR timeline. I haven't watched either anime in a while, so if there is too much OOC behavior, let me know ASAP! Also, I'm going to use as many characters as possible, so even though this story is centered around Ichigo and Tsuna, a lot of their friends are going to have a rather large part in the story. Thanks!

**Rating: K+**

**Warning: **OOCness, gen, Ichigo-centric chapter

**Summary:** What do a substitute shinigami and mafia boss in training have in common? Absolutely nothing…aside from the fact that they've both been kidnapped right under their friends noses and have only each other to rely on to survive.

* * *

**Coincidence**

Ichigo didn't know what to make of his fellow prisoner.

The kid was young, only a few years younger than himself, and he certainly didn't seem like a threat before or after his near panic attack – Ichigo's first thought upon waking up was a despairing _I'm never gonna hear the end of this _because there was no way in hell any of his friends would let him live this down _–_ but then again, the orange-haired teen knew better than anyone that looks weren't everything.

There was a quiet power that hummed beneath the younger teens skin, warm and fierce, familiar and completely unlike any energy Ichigo had felt before, and it wasn't until Tsuna spoke that Ichigo knew he was no pushover.

But that didn't explain why either of them was here.

Ichigo was just a regular human high school student (when exactly he'd started specifying _human_ he would never know) with a normal family, a few strange absences, a penchant for trouble, and an odd case of cardiac arrest or two. From what he could see, Tsuna seemed like a normal middle school student, maybe a bit shy and soft-spoken, but for a brief moment Ichigo saw something like potential shine in him.

As far as he knew, no one outside of his friends and allies knew of his moonlighting as a shinigami, and if they did, what did they think they would gain by imprisoning him?

_They probably want to study me or something._ He grimaced at the thought, remembering the leering glares he would get from Mayuri, or how he would sometimes catch Urahara's shrewd, calculating stare from the corner of his eye.

After hearing Tsuna's story, his mind immediately thought _no such thing as coincidences, this is just a huge set-up_ but who, or what, would have so much influence over both worlds? Not only would their information network have to be extensive and professional, but the money, planning, and time it would take to create such specific opportunities for their friends to be gone at the same time while making it seem completely random…these people were definitely not half-assing anything. It would take another four days, at least, for any of their friends or family to notice their absence.

All this work just to capture two seemingly average teenagers… if they did find out something so impossible about him – a human shinigami with hollow powers, _one-of-a-kind,_ Ichigo mentally snorted – what could Tsuna be hiding?

_Assuming that they know about my situation and that Tsuna is more than just a middle schooler, they probably have some pretty damn good spies if Urahara or Yoruichi didn't mention anyone watching us before they left. Having those kinds of contacts means influence. Influence means power and money. Yakuza? Crazy, rich bastard with too much time on his hands? _

In a dark corner of his mind, Keigo's annoying voice shouted _it's the government! They're watching us! _and Ichigo was inclined to agree, although he was thinking of a different government.

For a brief moment, the bright haired teen had suspected Soul Society had something to do with his kidnapping, but the doubt left as quickly as it came. Rukia had impressed upon him the fact that even though Shinigami came and went as needed, not even the Four Noble Families could extend their control to the material world. Those laws were as old as the foundations of Sereitei, laws that Central 46 couldn't amend, and trying to do so would therefore be an incredibly stupid thing to do.

Which lead him back to square one. He sighed in frustration, irritated that he didn't have enough information, but he didn't need his instincts to tell him he and Tsuna were probably in over their heads.

Ichigo frowned pensively, leaving that train of thought for later. From their short talk, he got the feeling that this wasn't Tsuna's first time involved in something dangerous (after all, what kind of kid his age should be reassuring someone older than him that they'd be saved, that his friends were coming to help?), but that didn't mean the brunette deserved to be in this situation.

He was a good kid, compassionate and morally sound and other things that Ichigo respected. There was something else too, an overwhelming kindness that couldn't be mistaken for vulnerability that the Visored recognized because it strongly reminded him of Orihime, of her everlasting tolerance and patience and sweetness that held a degree of solidarity he, Chad, and Ishida relied on in almost every battle. Seeing it in Tsuna was unexpected but only cemented the idea in his mind that Tsuna was different, but that couldn't be the reason he was stuck down in a dungeon with Ichigo, right?

That was why, when those six men had walked down the corridor, Ichigo kept a close eye on the brunettes' reactions. The way the younger teen stiffened, eyes wide with wariness and mouth turned down in alarm, was a clear warning before Ichigo felt what Tsuna must've picked up on.

The smell of death.

As the group casually made their way down the corridor, Ichigo instantly scowled again, expression darkening when he saw Tsuna's discomfort at being stared like one of the Twelfth Divisions' experiments.

"Look what we have here…" the youngest one leered.

Ichigo figured he was the youngest, anyway, but the man was easily into his late twenties or early thirties. The other two men, one silent as the grave holding an intimidating boar's head cane and the other standing with a proud stance much like Byakuya but too arrogant to be similar, were probably in their fifties with salt and pepper hair streaked with grey and stern lines etched deeply into their craggy faces. The two guards from earlier came up in the rear. The last man was too far back for Ichigo to see clearly, wrapped in the shadows of poor lighting, but he was the one that had most of Ichigo's attention.

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Sawada Tsunayoshi." The youngest ones smile took a maniacal edge, drawing their attention, "I'm flattered you two have decided to drop by…my two _guests of honor_."

Ichigo leveled the creepy one talking with an irritated stare for distracting him, lifting his wrist and rattling the heavy chains, "I'd hate to see how you treat your prisoners." He retorted blandly, catching Tsuna's half-incredulous, half-exasperated expression of oh-my-god-what-are-you-doing and I-knew-this-was-going-to-happen (and maybe a bit of you're-going-to-be-the-death-of-me), but his shoulders were no longer tight with tension.

Creepy sneered and the guard from earlier stepped forward with a snarl, "Watch yer tongue when yer in the presence of the Baron, boy, or I'll rip it outta yer mouth. We don't need ya here to _talk_ after all."

One of the middle-aged men, the quiet one, raised a hand and the guard immediately quieted, not even glowering at Ichigo as he stepped back into line. The second one with a haughty smirk spoke better Japanese than the guard, but his words still held a guttural accent Ichigo couldn't place, "Fret not, you both are far more valuable than mere prisoners." He jerked his head, and the two guards moved forward to Tsuna's cell.

Tsuna didn't look scared or intimidated, which was what Ichigo would've expected of anyone else, but he did look a bit worried as the guards stood imposingly over him with a pair of black handcuffs. Ichigo watched carefully and clenched his fists tightly when Tsuna sagged in exhaustion as soon as the cuffs made contact with his skin.

Ichigo's jaw clenched tightly, muscles tensing, "What did you do." It wasn't a question or request, but a demand.

He felt his reiatsu pressure rise, and by the wary expression on the guards faces, they were feeling the raging ocean of energy inside him stirring angrily. The young man stepped back, face twisted into a sneer, but before Ichigo could repeat himself, the sixth man in the shadows flashed forward in a blur with a speed his human body wasn't accustomed to defending against. He jerked back and dodged the first attempt at restraining him with what looked like cuffs made of white stone, but his back hit the all at the same time the restraints were secured around his wrist.

His eyes felt heavy immediately and he felt the chilling numbness that surrounded him slowly seep into his soul, Zangetsu and his hollow's already muted voices quieting to nothing.

* * *

"Stupid gorilla! Go back to the jungle!"

"Watch it, shrimp! I'll duel you now and take my rightful spot as Ukitake-taichou's third seat!"

"Ha! You couldn't beat me with my eyes close and both hands tied behind my back, you stinking caveman!"

"Please, like I'd be afraid of a little mouse like you. Go eat some lettuce, little rabbit, and let the real shinigami take care of the work around here."

"Why you-!"

"Kotetsu-san, Kotsubaki-san, please quiet down."

Both third seats immediately straightened at the sound of their vice-captains kind but stern voice. "Hai, Kuchiki-fukutaichou! My apologies!" Almost immediately, they glared at each other for speaking at the same time, oblivious to Rukia's amused gaze.

With a sigh, she waved her hand. "Carry on."

Rukia didn't have time to enjoy or get annoyed by their usual antics today seeing as she was almost late for the vice-captains meeting, followed by the Captain's Council right after. Even though it would be her fourth time in attendance, she was still nervous and excited to be there. _Not even two years ago, the Captain-Commander would never have allowed any seat below captain class to be present_. The thought brought a smile to her face, remembering her reaction upon first hearing about the procedural change from Ukitake-taichou.

_Ukitake smiled reassuringly at her, "There's nothing wrong, Rukia-chan. We were just informed by Yamamoto-soutaichou about a few changes he's making to the Gotei 13."_

_Rukia blinked, "Changes?"_

_Ukitake settled more comfortably behind his desk, features relaxed with a healthy color on his cheeks due to his improving health, "As you know, captains typically meet once every two weeks to discuss important issues within our specific divisions and Soul Society as a whole." Rukia nodded, a tad impatiently, earning her an indulgent chuckle that made her face flush, "As decreed by the Captain-Commander, starting now for as long as the Gotei 13 stands, vice-captains are permitted to attend Captain's Councils on the first week of every month."_

_The young Kuchiki stared, wide-eyed and star struck for a moment before shaking herself, "Vice-captains a-are what now? I'm allowed to attend a Captain's Council with you? I-I thought only the Central 46 could make those decisions."_

_Ukitake smiled again, kindly with a touch of wistfulness that she didn't quite understand, "Change has come, Rukia-chan, for the Gotei 13 and all of Soul Society."_

_Ichigo, expression set in unwavering determination and bull-headed stubbornness, came to mind. _

_The Thirteenth Division captain's expression shifted for a moment, as if he had heard her thoughts and agreed, "The new Central 46 is much more liberal with their rulings, and although we are no longer under Martial Law, Yamamoto-soutaichou has much more freedom with the divisions than before. After everything that's happened, most of the captains agreed that the vice-captains should be much more involved."_

Even sentenced to Muken, wrapped in darkness for nearly twenty millennia, he's still influencing us…_Rukia thought bitterly. If anything, destroying the previous Central 46 was probably the only good thing Aizen had done even though she could only admit it in the darkest recesses of her mind, a thought so traitorous and ugly that she couldn't help but feel dirty for even believing it. But it was true. _

"_I see. So when will the first meeting be?"_

_Ukitake's smile became ever so slightly devious, and Rukia had learned early on from Kaein that that particular expression never boded well for those on the receiving end. _

Ukitake-taichou is one of the oldest shinigami in Sereitei, Kuchiki. He's gotta keep himself entertained somehow, right?

"_Tomorrow."_

_Rukia blinked once. Twice. _

_Her captain's serene smile never wavered._

"_TOMORROW?!"_

Vice-captains were used to attending meetings – it was an unwritten prerequisite for any seated officer, though second seat had the most responsibilities – within their divisions or collaborating with other Shinigami, and sometimes even attending social gatherings. Every once in a while, lieutenants would have their own assemblies to help their captains run things smoothly and get along internally within the ranks of the Gotei 13, making plans and trading ideas in case any of their captains were unable to continue with their duties and the lieutenant had to carry on.

It was much less formal than the Captains Council, and often times only nine out of twelve would attend regularly when not on a mission, so when the Captain Commander mandated that lieutenants be in attendance with the captains in First Division Headquarters once a month…it was safe to say more than a few felt unprepared and a little nervous.

The vice-captains had no problems with their own division leaders, but dealing with more than one captain was intimidating. Seeing all thirteen in one room, stone-faced and professional, flooding with insurmountable power, control, and skill, was absolutely nerve-wracking.

Thus their Lieutenant's Assembly began, a consensus falling over all vice-captains to have a brief, organizational meeting before the Captain's Council to gather information in order to present it in a much more structured manner in front of their captains and the Commander as well as lessen the chance that they'd make a fool of themselves in front of the highest ranking Shinigami in Soul Society.

Rukia was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the other shinigami before they collided, nearly sending her to the ground. She noticed the flash of flaming red hair and immediately kicked the offender in the shin, savoring the satisfying yelp, "Watch where you're walking, Renji."

Renji glowered at her, rubbing his shin. "Hey, I was just coming to make sure you made it on time. You know how uptight Shuuhei gets when one of us is even a minute late."

Rukia smirked, "I thought you'd be more wary of Ise-fukutaichou after she chewed you out last month. She _is_ head of the Lieutenant's Assembly after all."

"I was giving Kuchiki-taichou overdue paperwork!"

"And why was it overdue?"

"I – well, he – uh…" The redhead stuck his tongue out at her and continued to banter as they made their way to the Eighth Division barracks.

* * *

"You're late."

Renji quailed under Ise Nanao's stern gaze, discreetly taking a half-step behind Rukia as the petite woman towered over them both with the same glare that more often than not got the Eighth Division captain to do his paperwork.

Rukia swallowed hard and nodded politely, "_We_ apologize for the delay, Ise-fukutaichou."

She emphasized her 'we' by jabbing an elbow into Renji's side, who gave a pained grin in apology.

Nanao glared them down for another moment before relenting and turning her attention back to the assembled lieutenants watching in amusement. Despite adding three captains to vacant divisions, not much had changed in the vice-captain ranks except for Mashiro's presence sharing Hisagi's seat in the Ninth Division (which was more for Kensei's sake rather than there being any doubt to Hisagi's ability to run the division).

"All right, time to begin the fourth gathering of the Lieutenant's Assembly. First Division."

Chojiro Sasakibe straightened where he stood, "Present. No new news regarding the disappearances of the three First Division unseated officers, Kanjiro Hirose, Mina Sekozawa, or Ikku Kokan. Fourteenth Seat, Rei Numata, reported the residents of Kusajishi, North Rukongai, have also disappeared. Twelfth Division members are analyzing the area."

Nanao nodded, lips thinned into a hard line as she swiftly took notes on her clipboard, and Mashiro fell silent.

Rukia couldn't blame them – the incidents and disappearances, which had started nearly three weeks ago, were too much like one hundred years ago, when whole districts used to vanish because of Aizen's experiments. "Second Division."

Omaeda swallowed a mouthful of chips, "Present. No disappearances or deaths in the Second Division, but a few Onmitsukido members returned injured a week ago with severe burns. They've been hospitalized but none have woken up yet. No information so far."

And so it went, with every division vice-captain giving his or her report – except Kira, who was on a mission in the southern districts with a small squad of four under his command and not expected to return for another five days. Nearly everyone was grimfaced by the end, each division reporting strange situations or disappearances of seated and unseated officers. The Fourth Division vice-captain, Kotetsu Isane, divulged that Unohana was having trouble treating the wounds on some of the seated officers that were injured in the field like the Onmitsukido members, but more would be revealed at the Captain's Council.

The most disturbing report was from the Twelfth Division.

Kurotsuchi Nemu was impassive, "The Twelfth Division has multiple teams analyzing reports and collecting samples from North Rukongai, District 79, and West Rukongai, District 80 where Omaeda-fukutaichou and Matsumoto-fukutaichou reported souls disappearing. Raw data indicates that residents did not disappear but were killed and their reiyoku was degraded. Reports are inconclusive as to what could cause such corrosive damage not already recorded in the Twelfth Division's files. All other information is classified."

Everyone was silent.

Renji sighed, rolling his neck to relieve the knots he could feel building and dispelling the tension in the room, "Well, better get going. Don't wanna keep the captains waiting."

The other lieutenants nodded in agreement and headed out.

* * *

"ICHIGOOOO!"

Said orange-haired teen sighed and with a disinterested expression, swiftly clotheslined his hyperactive friend before he could get even more rambunctious.

Keigo had gotten better over the year and a half, able to reign in the impulsive urges that used to get him slapped by every female within ten feet of him (Ichigo didn't like to think about it because he knew Keigo's maturity was partially due to Aizen's influence), but sometimes he reverted to his young, freshman self. He ignored the pathetic choking noises his friend made as the group settled on the rooftop without a glance at the familiar scene.

"Kurosaki-kun, what are you doing over break?" Orihime asked, bright and bubbly as usual.

Something less than brilliant still lingered in her gaze, remnants of Tsukishima's meddling in her memories still plaguing her (and even deeper, the nightmares of her capture and the war), but she was better overall and smiled in a familiar, sweet way.

"Tatsuki-chan invited me to a mixed martial arts tournament! They have these cooking classes in the building across the street for free to teach proper nutrition for athletes! I'm so excited!"

Ichigo held back a snort – those instructors were in for a real treat when they saw what Orihime tried to feed her friends on a weekly basis.

"Sounds fun. Going to assert your dominance over the other contestants, Tatsuki?"

The black haired martial artist smirked in reply, "Nah, but my coach scored me some backstage passes to meet some of the seminar instructors in person. I'm gonna challenge every one of them to an arm wrestling match if it's the last thing I do!" She flexed her arms for good measure and dragged Keigo into a loose chokehold, eliciting a round of snickers and nervous laughter from the captive teen.

Ichigo glanced at Chad questioningly, silently giving him his cherry tomatoes Yuzu packed extras of, and the gentle giant nodded in thanks, "The school accepted my request to be a student representative to Mexico. I'm leaving a day before break begins." His intention to visit his grandfathers' grave, to made amends after what the other Xcution members had done, was understood and left unsaid.

The general question turned to Keigo, now free of Tatsuki's terrifying hold, "I'm stuck going to a bunch of my sisters stupid Student Council meetings out of town. Mizuiro's only coming cause his new girlfriend lives out by where our main stop is."

Mizuiro smiled politely – with an edge of sadistic amusement, Ichigo noted – as their usual banter began.

The group was used to their shenanigans and turned to the Quincy sitting among them. "What about you, Ishida-kun?"

Ishida's proper posture became noticeably rigid and Orihime opened her mouth to backtrack but the Quincy merely sighed, relaxing slightly as he did so, and reluctantly divulged, "My…father and I are traveling to Tokyo for the majority of the break to attend a medical conference."

Ishida's usual stern expression gave nothing away but Ichigo knew him better than that and saw the lines of tension around his mouth as well as the flash of anticipation that flickered through his steady gaze. The Quincy wasn't nearly as put-off as he tried to make himself sound, but he wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the prolonged, isolated contact with his father.

"He's going to teach me more about the Quincies history as well as a few techniques," his eyes sharpened with amusement and some exasperation when he sent a pointed look at Ichigo, "and he wants to keep me far away from bad company for as long as possible."

Ichigo scowled as his friends laughed, but his expression melted into one of content. Okay, so maybe he wasn't the greatest influence in the three worlds, but it he didn't _make_ the younger Quincy fight – although he was partially to blame for the many incidents surrounding Karakura.

Orihime turned to him expectantly and he gave a half-shrug. "Yuzu won some prize drawing and got a few tickets to a beach side resort for a week."

Orihime blinked in surprise, "So you're going to be out of town too?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Not interested."

As much fun as it would've been to lie in the sun and just relax with his family for once, the orange-haired teen found the idea unappealing.

It wasn't just him being suspicious of the sudden good fortune going around (which he totally was and, with his luck, it was completely justifiable) or him just being a stick in the mud (also justifiable), but he needed some time to himself.

He was thankful to have his powers back, grateful to the shinigami that had put their faith in him, and glad that he could finally help protect Karakura with his friends again, but adjusting to his previous lifestyle after months of living without it (without the comfort of half his soul, without the power that hummed beneath his skin, without the ability to protect) wasn't something he wanted to do in a hotel. He wanted to be by himself without dwelling on the 'what ifs' that had dominated his life for the last year and a half. He needed time to reconnect with his soul and explore the new realms his Fullbring had opened.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes at his offhanded answer but didn't say anything.

She'd run into Yuzu, quite literally, the day the young girl got the tickets and listened as Yuzu babbled cutely about how much fun it would be to go on vacation with her sister and father but that she would miss Ichigo and _Tatsuki-nee, can you make sure Onii-chan is okay while we're gone?_ When Tatsuki had asked why Ichigo wasn't going with them, Yuzu brightened, face glowing with adoration for her big brother that made Tatsuki smile. _There were five tickets so Onii-chan suggested taking Jinta and Ururu instead since Urahara-san and Tessai-san are out of town. He says he wants to stay home and relax but he's just being nice again!_

Tatsuki knew that wasn't the whole reason (and note to self, she really had to figure out who the hell Jinta, Tessai, and all these people were, she'd known about Soul Society and Shinigami for over a year now dammit), but she wouldn't push it this time.

Instead, she leered, "Yeah right. You just don't want your old man to hook you up with any beach bunnies and cause a scene."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and grumbled half-heartedly as his friends laughed and soon he was laughing with them, but something in his chest coiled tightly despite the happiness that flooded him.

His friends were happy, his family was safe, and he could finally do his duty as a substitute shinigami again.

So why did everything feel so wrong?

* * *

**Author's Note**: Thank you for your patience, my wonderful readers. Stay tuned! Faves/reviews are greatly appreciated! Let me know if there are any grammar errors or discrepancies in character behavior or timeline events.


	4. Opportunities

**Rating: K+**

**Warnings: **slight OOCness, gen

**Summary:** What do a substitute shinigami and mafia boss in training have in common? Absolutely nothing…aside from the fact that they've both been kidnapped right under their friends noses and have only each other to rely on to survive. Gen.

* * *

**Opportunities**

_I wonder what Tsuna and Gokudera are doing now._

Yamamoto blinked when a gloved hand was waved in front of his face and grinned up at the sight of his fellow baseball player. "Yo Taniguchi, what's up?"

Taniguchi grinned back, excitement written all over his face. "Coach said we're still about a day away from Nishinomiya with all this traffic so we're staying at a hotel for the night. Says the host for the tournament is payin' for everything, can you believe it?"

"Man, if I have to share a room with Monta, I'm gonna throw him out a window."

"Oi!"

"Tch, at least _he_ doesn't snore like a damn thunderstorm."

"Huh? You talkin' about me?!"

The baseball star gave a good-natured laugh as his teammates started to squabble about rooming arrangements, but something didn't settle well with him.

Ever since his team received news that they'd been selected as special guests to the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament – one of two of the largest baseball tournaments held in Japan – he'd felt something off beneath the shock and excitement. It was a once in a lifetime chance, the opportunity to practice with experienced high school teams and meet professional baseball stars and try to impress a few of the scouts that would be there, but it was almost too good to be true.

After all, his school had been informed that all the invitational slots had been filled early on in the year, which was disheartening for a while but expected. Yamamoto had had other things to worry about at the time, like joining Tsuna in his mafia game. Then, right after his battle with Small Gia and Big Pino, coach had announced a team had dropped out, opening a slot for Namimori baseball team to fill. They had been only given a one-week notice to prepare and had been whisked away in a hurry when the tournament was still a few days away.

Yamamoto didn't pay it much mind at the time. He had been too caught up in the haze of excitement that had enveloped his team as well as concentrating on recovering from his injuries so he could participate.

Then he'd gone to Tsuna with the news, grinning broadly and feeling like a kid again.

Tsuna was happy for him, like Yamamoto knew the brunette would be, and there had been relief when his friend encouraged him to go. He knew Tsuna still felt guilty about all the battles they'd been through, the fact that their increasingly mafia-like lifestyle was trying to make him choose between the bat and the sword, but that guilt wasn't what made Tsuna smile and tell him to go. He genuinely enjoyed Yamamoto's happiness when he played baseball and he really did want to see his friend play the game he held so dear. Yamamoto's loyalty to the brunette only solidified at that point and was quick to head home and get ready to leave, heart settling contentedly with his friends encouraging words and fathers warm laughter.

Only now did he realize how abrupt it all seemed.

"Oh come on! I don't want to sleep in the same room as _him_, his feet'll stink up the whole room!"

"You're one to talk. You fart so much I'm surprised you don't suffocate yourself."

"I don't talk in my sleep!"

"Do you know how much he drools? Like, bucket-fulls. It's gross."

"Settle down all of you!"

The coaches bark silenced the rowdier complaints and brought Yamamoto out of his darkening thoughts.

_Haha, I'm thinking way too much about this. Tsuna's right, I should just enjoy the break._

The tournament wouldn't last too long, even less than usual because they weren't actually _in_ the tournament so they didn't have to participate in the mandatory pre-tournament week of practice. He'd call Tsuna and Gokudera once in a while to make sure everything was okay.

Well, maybe just Tsuna since Gokudera would probably just yell at him and call him paranoid after the whole Vindice fiasco if he said anything then hang up.

With that thought in mind, he settled in his seat and listened to their coach's instructions.

* * *

Reborn was in a foul mood when he entered the mansion and every Mafioso within two hundred feet could feel his wrath.

The flight had had some unexpected delays and had taken two hours longer to reach Italy, causing the pilot to periodically suffer minor anxiety attacks because of the impatient hitman on board. Traffic had been horrendous on the way to headquarters, delaying him another hour he really couldn't afford. On the way, he'd had to listen to several voicemails that had reported a dozen more family members going MIA in the day that it took him to get from Namimori to Rome. One in particular nearly made him break his phone.

"_We've located the bodies of several allies that had gone missing three months ago."_

Suffice to say, even Colonello didn't say anything when Reborn made his way through the grand halls and entered the private conference room, barely acknowledging the only six occupants.

Nono stood at the head of the conference table, more lines etched onto his face than Reborn could remember with his dour Storm Guardian, Coyote Nougat, beside him. Squalo, heavily bandaged and scowling but professional all the same, sat a few chairs down as the Varia's representative, unsurprising seeing as the rest were still recovering from severe injuries (even with a hole in his chest, his was the most tame). Fon, who greeted him with a subdued nod, was opposite of Squalo and calmly sipped his tea. A little closer to the double doors, Colonello looked up, mouth slanted in a grim line beside Lal Mirch – despite their recent success in breaking the curse, instead of the content she'd found in having her adult body back, her arms were crossed and her face was cold.

The fact that his idiot former student Dino, along with his aide Romario, weren't present made him uneasy.

It seemed the situation was much graver than Nono made it out to be in his letter, but Reborn picked that up himself with his various contacts and shrugged off the tension in the room.

Nono greeted him with a strained smile that he didn't return. "Reborn."

"Nono." The hitman tipped his hat respectfully and jumped up onto the tabletop, picking up the file that his fellow ex-Storm Arcobaleno slid to him silently. No one spoke as he read over the report, and something ugly coiled tightly in his chest.

TOP SECRET FILE

_Operation: Wild Fire_

_Head Investigator: Jean Kirschtein_

_Base of Operations: Bordeaux, France_

_Report: XX-XX-XXXX_

_Commander of European Division, Erwin Smith, reporting three missing personnel from French, English, and Russion Branches respectively: Hanji Zoe, scientist studying Hyper Dying Will Flames, Armin Arlert, temporary assistant to Hanji Zoe, and Annie Leonhardt, field agent reassigned to Bordeaux, France._

_Vongola Nono,_

_As acting senior officer of Operation Wild Fire, I am requesting the assistance of your best team of investigators. There have been no leads, no evidence, and no signs of kidnapping or forced entry into the main laboratory or dormitories where the three soldiers were last seen. _

_We suspect that an unknown party has taken Hanji Zoe and Armin Arlert for their collective knowledge of the Hyper Dying Will Flame and more importantly, the formula used to create Vongola Decimo's HDW supplement and personal physiology, but it is unknown why Annie Leonhardt is also missing._

_My partner, Marco Bodt, reasons that she may have been taken as well for her knowledge of the layout and security of Vongola's French, Russian, German, and Norwegian bases due to multiple reassignments. I disagree. _

_We are currently screening officers that were on and off duty at the time and checking alibis, but I believe that whatever is happening is only the beginning. Time is of the essence. _

_Dieu vous garde,_

_Jean Kirschtein _

The short, almost dismissive 'I disagree' made Reborn frown.

The senior officers credentials were right under the short missive along with more elaborate information on the case. Distantly, Reborn acknowledged that Kirschtein had a near perfect track record with numerous commendations and a flood of reports singing his praises, but all the hitman could think at the moment was _Tsuna's in danger because of his incompetence. _However, he knew he was being unfair and that he was needed here.

Information regarding Tsuna's transformation, and by extension, his blood inheritance to Vongola Primo and the famed Hyper Intuition, was extremely sensitive.

He closed the file and looked expectantly at Lal. "Have you contacted Iemitsu?"

She held his gaze and the ominous air in the room intensified. "We can't. We tried calling on his cell, work, and satellite phones but none of them are getting through and all contact with the ship has been cut off. We tried tracking down _St. Maria_ by speedboat and helicopter but the ship isn't on its destined route, and no matter what deviations or possible ports it could've stopped at for an emergency or otherwise, we can't locate it. The captain hasn't radioed an SOS and we've found no traces of a shipwreck."

Colonello sighed. "Either the itinerary Iemitsu gave us was wrong or _St. Maria_ was never just a regular cruise, kora."

Iemitsu was a lot of things – idiotic, overzealous, loud – but unprofessional he was not. Everything he did was triple-checked with the shrewd eyes of a calculating cynic, and if he'd had even an inkling of something going wrong, he would've never allowed Nana near such danger.

The implications were clear.

A quick vision flashed through Reborn's mind, of him explaining to Tsuna why his mother and father weren't coming back, of taking the brunt of Tsuna's sorrow and rage at suddenly becoming an orphan, and it left him feeling cold and unsettled.

Squalo didn't need prompting and reported in a clipped tone, "Low-ranking Varia members sent an incomplete report from Israel two weeks ago. Communication was down due to a severe sandstorm and we attributed the interrupted call to natural interference. When the dispatched retrieval team got to the satellite base three days later, no one was there. No evidence to suggest a confrontation took place and the fourteen Varia members stationed there are declared traitors to kill on sight."

Reborn saw Fon frown at the brutality of the order, but they both understood the necessity of it.

Assassins like the Varia carried invaluable skills and information, things that could hurt Vongola in the future, and that was unacceptable.

Fon continued calmly, "The Triads are agitated and have become distrustful. Trade lines have been thinning and there is less activity overall in Hong Kong and Beijing. I'm still investigating, but due to rising tension over territory breaches, I can't interfere without instigating a nationwide feud." The former Storm Arcobaleno's gaze was solemn and apologetic, but there was nothing they could really do.

The air in the room got heavier and Reborn tugged his fedora over his eyes.

Their contacts in China and most of Asia were isolated.

More than a few of their supply and information bunkers in the Middle East were being shut down.

Famiglia members were missing, going missing, or recently found dead.

They had no leads as to what phenomena was occurring not just to Vongola, but many influential families across the globe.

Essentially, Vongola's sight and hearing had been quartered in less than two weeks while the intricate balance between international syndicates had been tipping in an unknown party's favor for two months.

Squalo gave no indication that he was bothered by any of the information presented and Fon, Colonello, and Lal were silent in their musings, but once upon a time there had been a future where they'd all been hunted like animals, surviving day to day in fear of being caught once and for all, and they each had those memories forever haunting them. Reborn had lived it, training his student and guardians to their limits and pretending not to notice Bianchi's quiet sobs in the middle of the night, or Fuuta's pained smile when Tsuna was too close, or the despair in Yuni's smile whenever the hitman settled on her shoulder.

None of them wanted to experience that broken future ever again, but Reborn a disturbing feeling that the beginning of the end was much like what they were experiencing now.

Nono seemed to have aged another few years in the last few minutes, but he squared his shoulders.

"Lal, Colonello, please return to CEDEF headquarters and select a team to assist Jean Kirschtein in the investigation in France. Send a representative to England as well to speak directly with Commader Erwin Smith. Have Oregano and Tumeric continue searching for _St. Maria_ but send Basil to Japan to accompany Tsunayoshi-kun and his guardians."

Both former Arcobaleno nodded determinedly.

The aging man turned to Squalo, "Inform Xanxus of the situation. However, the Varia is confined to Vongola Headquarters until your injuries are no longer critical."

Squalo bit back a scowl and merely tilted his head in acquiescence. Nono's wording made it clear that the Varia, while physically restricted to Italy, had free reign to continue operations elsewhere.

"Fon, return to China for now. If the situation becomes increasingly hostile, use your best judgment to determine what to do from there. Avoid taking risks."

The former Storm Arcobaleno nodded.

"And Reborn." The hitman met Nono's unreadable gaze. "I have a special assignment for you."

* * *

Awareness came to Tsuna slowly, like he was sluggishly wading through thick molasses to reach consciousness. With a wince, he opened his eyes and blearily squinted at the light shining through ornate floor-to-ceiling windows.

_Where am I? _

Suddenly, memories of stone walls and cold metal and orange hair crashed over him in a tidal wave, pulling him from the lingering affects of his restless sleep as he sat up sharply in surprise. Immediately afterwards, he cringed and nearly crumpled into himself as he bit back a cry of pain. _Itiiieee…_His muscles were on fire, like they were cramping up all over, and his shoulders and wrists ached as if he'd been hanging from them for days. The nausea that threatened to overcome him was also an unwelcome surprise.

It took a long moment to orient himself, but eventually his body was under control. He'd been through worse with Reborn's training after all. Tsuna cautiously looked around the room and noticed he wasn't alone.

Hard amber eyes bore into his own warm brown. "Tsuna, you alright?"

Tsuna blinked and slowly nodded. "U-um, I think so."

The older teenagers gaze lingered on him a moment later, but if he had any doubts he didn't say, and Tsuna let out a sigh when Ichigo stood up to search and survey the room, something Tsuna should've probably been doing.

A flush of embarrassment colored Tsuna's cheeks when he realized Ichigo probably saw his little episode. _So lame…_then again, Ichigo must've suffered from the same effects despite not showing any discomfort now. Tsuna uncurled slowly, relieved that the fire in his veins had lessened considerably, but his shoulders still hurt and with a frown, he realized why.

He still had the strange black cuffs on his wrists binding his hands tightly together.

Even worse, he felt cold, the kind of chill that reached his bones and froze his core, the kind of cold he'd only felt a handful of times before when he and his friends faced Verde during the Arcobaleno Trials.

_I…I can't feel my flames!_

The familiar power that hummed beneath his skin and warmed his fingertips was _gone_ and the sudden panic that threatened to overwhelm him was devastating. He'd been helpless, defenseless, _weak_ plenty of times before, but the aching sense of loss was profound.

Reborn's voice, sharp and reprimanding, cut through the haze of fear.

"_You have to remain calm, Tsuna. Panicking will only make the situation worse. You need to think clearly. Distract yourself, think-"_

_-of something else, think of something else!_

He thought of his mother and her wonderful cooking, his friends as they fought and laughed together, his tutor whose strength he had come to rely on in almost every situation, and the panic slowly ebbed until he could think without that fearful, cloudy haze in his head again. Thankfully, Ichigo didn't seem to notice as he slowly investigated the room, looking for clues to explain…explain what exactly? Why they were here? How to escape?

That was when he noticed the white cuffs that encircled Ichigo's wrists, nearly identical to his own in all but color and material. While his was a smooth, metallic black, cold enough to send chills up his arms, Ichigo had white, grainy stone.

A thought struck him. "I-Ichigo-san, how long have we been here?"

"A few hours probably." He jerked his chin towards the ornate floor-to-ceiling windows. "The sun's still up but we haven't been asleep for more than a day."

Tsuna's internal clock must've been off from the drugs and constant sleep then. He wasn't really tired but his body was still exhausted and shutting down like he'd been staying up all night playing video games.

"Oi Tsuna, check this out." Ichigo called, and Tsuna jolted upright in surprise.

The orange haired teen was staring at something on the antique desk lined up along the wall a few feet from where he sat, draws open and pages scattered. Tsuna stood on shaky legs and made his way over to Ichigo's side, squinting at the strange print that covered the paper.

_E-Eh? This isn't Japanese. I don't think it's English either…and tt doesn't look like any of Gokudera-kuns Italian books. Hiiieee! _

Ichigo, after scrutinizing the page with an intensity and silence that made Tsuna a little uncomfortable, concluded with a frown, "I think it's German."

Tsuna blinked. "Eh, how can you tell?"

The bright haired teen gave a little smirk, making his scowl disappear, "See that letter with two dots over it? It's an umlaut. At least, I'm pretty sure it is."

He leaned a bit closer to look at the crest printed in the corner then looked over Tsuna's head to look at something else.

Tsuna followed his gaze and nearly screeched when he saw the ugly pig looking thing over the doorway.

It was a coat of arms, similar to Vongola's crest with its intricate lines and inherent sense of antiquity, but it was a simpler design that featured a boar's head with more unfamiliar scrawls. "Looks pretty important…" he murmured, taking another look at the document. It vaguely reminded him of the letter the Cervello had presented to him and his friends during the battle for the Vongola rings, a formal letter from someone powerful. "Did you study German?"

Ichigo glanced at him, wary and nostalgic, and the corner of his lips quirked up, "My little sister, Yuzu, likes to watch foreign dramas. One of her favorites is _Dresden_ and she usually drags Karin, my other little sister, my dad and I to watch it with her."

The brunette didn't expect him to say anything like that, but it warmed Tsuna to know that this was Ichigo telling him he trusted him too. He smiled, "Sounds fun. My mom likes French soap operas."

His eyes landed on one of the papers Ichigo couldn't identity and his eyes widened.

"That's French. I think those are…accent marks? Or something like that. I know they have two kinds."

Ichigo looked at him again, something like approval in his gaze, before his small smile fell at the sound of footsteps in the corridor. Since Ichigo didn't bother to move from his place in front of the desk, neither did Tsuna, though he was close to breaking out in a nervous sweat.

_They're not gonna like us going through their stuff…_

He could almost feel Reborn kicking him in the head for the thought.

"_They've kidnapped and drugged you, Dame-Tsuna. Who cares if they don't like you snooping."_

What little courage those imagined words had given him fled quickly when the doors opened and he was flooded with a sense of claustrophobia.

Two of the five men from the dungeons entered, one sweeping in grandly while the other followed at a sedate pace. It was dark in the basement, but Tsuna recognized the two easily; the young man that had leered at them and the silent old man that hadn't spoken a word.

Even in a well-lit room, the two were imposing – the younger could be considered handsome with his dark hair and piercing eyes, and the older man looked younger in the light with less shadows cast across his face, but both still had that edge of falseness that bothered Tsuna. Ichigo tensed beside him, eyes moving over the two men like they weren't important and searching for something with them, but Tsuna found it difficult to focus on anything at all. It took a moment before he jerked out of his stupor, blinking confusedly at a corner of the room before refocusing on the Bear-something. What did the guard call him again?

The scary one that reminded him vaguely of Byakuran from the future gave a parody of a smile. "Well, well, well, our guests of honor are awake. Please, have a seat." He mockingly motioned with his arm for them to sit on the two couches where they'd woken up initially.

Tsuna gulped and slowly moved forward, wary and nervous.

When he didn't feel Ichigo following, he glanced back and saw the teens face, jaw tight with anger. He could see the rebellion in the bright haired teens eyes rising, so much like Gokudera it wasn't even funny, but he fought down the homesickness and fear.

He gently shook his head. "Ichigo-san…"

Ichigo glanced at him once, hard expression softening just a touch, and obliged much to Tsuna's relief.

They sat down next to each other with their backs to the windows as the other two men followed suit across from them, not one of them not speaking a word. Even though the younger man unsettled him, Tsuna was more wary of the older man's silence. He was the one that didn't speak at all in the dungeon, only needing to use one hand to instill a sort of primal fear into the guard.

"What do you want with us?"

Tsuna nearly had a heart attack at Ichigo's brusque question but he didn't miss the way the bright haired teens eyes would float over the man's shoulder, still searching for something not in front of him.

The man sneered, an ugly expression that twisted his foreign features into something cruel as he leaned forward in his seat as he warned in heavily accented Japanese, "Best not to speak to me that way, boy. I am the Baron of this castle and I control you two. Just be glad our patron favors you both and prefers that you are delivered _unharmed_."

Tsuna jumped, but not because of the younger man's actions.

The older man, who he suspected was more than just an old man, had settled a hand on the Baron's knee. The Baron settled back in his seat and the older man pulled away.

Tsuna didn't know what to make of the interaction and instead hesitantly spoke up, "S-Sorry, b-but wh-what do you want u-us for?" Reborn would've kicked him for stuttering.

The intense glaring contest between the Baron and Ichigo subsided as the Baron's cold eyes settled on him instead along with what felt like a dozen others. He didn't particularly like the feeling. The Baron's cruel smile changed again, this time to a Cheshire Cat with too much arrogance and not enough caution, "We are merely fulfilling our patrons tasks. Our duty is to keep you both until you're presence is required elsewhere."

"Then why not keep us in chains downstairs?" Ichigo retorted, body thrumming with energy. "Why bring us here when you could just as easily keep us out of the way in our cells?"

The Baron leaned even farther back in his seat, legs crossing and haughty smirk widening. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have to ask nicely like you're little friend here."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, scowl growing fiercer, and Tsuna thought he was going to pass out from the tension, but before he could utter another sound, the older man stood. His cane, which Tsuna hadn't noticed before, thudded on the ground and it sounded like a war drum in Tsuna's head.

The Baron's smile sharpened as he looked at them again. "It's time."

Ichigo shot to his feet, eyes wide with alarm before he was forced back in his seat next to Tsuna, and it wasn't until he felt invisible hands all over him that the brunette realized why. Something was holding them down.

That was Tsuna's last thought before everything went black again.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for your patience! Please like/favorite/review if you enjoyed this chapter.


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